The present technology relates to a moving-image capturing apparatus for capturing a moving image and an electronic zoom method for the moving image.
For example, both recording of a still image and recording of a moving image can be configured to be enabled, for example, in a digital still-camera apparatus, an electronic device (for example, a smart phone or the like) with a camera function, or the like as an imaging apparatus.
In general, the above-described imaging apparatus has a configuration in which an image sensor is shared in recording (output) of a still image and recording (output) of a moving image. In this case, in the moving image, its output image size is normally set to be less than the number of effective pixels (read image size) of the image sensor in terms of processing capability or the like. For example, when a read image size of the image sensor is about 10 mega (M) pixels, an image size of the recorded moving image is set to about 2 Mpixels (for example, see JP 2008-294504A).
In a system for outputting a moving image according to an image size that is less than a read image size of the image sensor as described above, conversion (reduction) into a moving-image output size is performed in advance in a previous stage of image signal processing with a comparatively heavy processing burden.
Thereby, in an example in which the above-described sensor read image size=10 Mpixels and the moving-image output image size=2 Mpixels, the processing burden can be reduced to about ⅕.
On the other hand, there is an electronic zoom function provided in the imaging apparatus. The electronic zoom function can be implemented, for example, by clipping part of a captured image and adjusting an image size of the clipped image to be consistent with an output image size, if necessary.
For example, in an imaging apparatus for performing an image size reduction process for reducing the above-described processing burden as the imaging apparatus of the related art, a clipping process for the electronic zoom function is performed after a process of reduction to the output image size is performed. That is, in this case, a process of reduction to the output image size→clipping corresponding to a zoom ratio→enlargement of a clipped image to the output image size is performed.